The 19-year-old man charged with crashing a U-Haul truck into security barriers near the White House last week had plans of overthrowing the U.S. government, according to federal prosecutors.
Those plans included writing a speech to announce the end of democracy, prosecutors said.
Sai Varshith Kandula, of Missouri, had his federal court hearing pushed back until June 9.
Friday, in a motion arguing that Kandula should remain in custody until trial for depredation of property of the U.S., prosecutors said his goal was to seize power of the government, which could involve killing the president.
When he was approached by U.S. Park Police after ramming the box truck into security bollards along Lafayette Square on May 22, Kandula had unfurled a Nazi flag.
In the filing, prosecutors said after his arrest, Kandula told U.S. Secret Service investigators he intended to “get to the White House, seize power, and be put in charge of the nation,” and that he kept a “green book,” containing his thoughts, in writing.
The recovered “green book” contained what prosecutors said appears to be a planned speech Kandula would give, after he seized power.
Prosecutors said while Kandula was familiar with “this country being a democratic nation, this will no longer be the case,” according to the green book.
In addition, he wrote in the green book that “There shall be consequence if civil unrest happens,” which “will be met with (sic) death penalty,” including the killing of the president.
After declaring martial law, “We will rebuild this world, and put a new system in place once the objective has been achieved. Sieg hail,” he wrote, misspelling the Nazi motto of “hail victory.”
No weapons were discovered in the box truck.
“This attack was not a spur of the moment decision, it was a deliberate plan. Notwithstanding the factual impossibility of him accomplishing this act because of security measures in place to protect the U.S. Government and elected officials, the Defendant took significant, substantial steps toward accomplishing his goal,” according to the filing from U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves.
Prosecutors said given Kandula’s actions “and his professed intentions to commit additional violence, there are simply no conditions nor combinations of conditions of release that can assure the safety of the community if the Defendant is released.”
Sunday, Kandula’s public defender, A.J. Kramer filed a request to delay the detention hearing until June 9, to “develop a proposed release plan.”
